Dallas City Council member Angela Hunt has taken a little heat over calling some folks "bums" in a weekend Tweet about their presence at Main Street Garden, and in downtown parks in general.

"I'm going to be really very, very clear," she told me a few minutes ago. "Some folks have been concerned that I didn't choose my words carefully enough. The fact is I did choose my words carefully."

Hunt said when she says "bums," she is not referring to all homeless people.

"I am absolutely sympathetic to folks who have lost their home, or are mentally ill, or for whatever reason need the assistance of The Bridge and need the assistance of the non-profits that we have available for the homeless," she said. "But there is a subset of homeless that is creating a threatening envirnoment for residents, and that just can't be tolerated."

"I've been an advocate for the homeless and for ensuring that the city does as much as possible in creating services and facilities to address issues," she added. "But for those homeless who have no interest in using those services, and who want to camp out in our parks, that's not something that we cannot tolerate."

Hunt said she is frustrated by the presence of panhandling, sometimes threatening folks who frequent downtown parks. She said that when the City Council debated creating The Bridge, city officials assured them that it would be accompanied by a "zero tolerance policy" toward behavior that makes it difficult, unpleasant or unsafe to visit public spaces.

Hunt said she's spoken with City Manager Mary Suhm.

"She's assured me that we're going to work on this, so that's what were going to do," Hunt said.

But as far as what, legally and ethically, can be done, Hunt said she doesn't yet know.

"We're really just starting that conversation," Hunt said. "We need to look at what some other cities do and how they address this issue and how they encourage folks to use shelters and to use those services and facilities that we have available for them."

"I'm not sure why we would spend tens of millions of dollars on our downtown parks if we're not going to help ensure that they remain safe, comfortable places for our residents," she said.